Sherman Oaks

Sherman Oaks

Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in Los Angeles County located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by Studio City to the east, Van Nuys to the north, Encino to the west and Bel Air and Beverly Hills to the south. In contrast to much of the Valley, the area is relatively urbanized, with commercial skyscrapers along Ventura Boulevard as well as scattered throughout. Sherman Oaks is known for its unique residential structure, with apartment and condominium neighborhoods alongside single-story residential ones. The area is a local hub for regional transportation, business, shopping and dining.

Sherman Oaks was one of the first Valley communities to experience intensive real estate development. Anticipating the development of the Los Angeles Aqueduct scheduled for 1913, the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Co. purchased 47,500 acres of the southeast Valley in 1910, which eventually led to the village’s namesake, General Moses Hazeltine Sherman, buying 1,000 acres a year later. Sherman later subdivided his land and sold it at a value of $780 per acre in 1927 as it continued to be developed by both business and residential real estate investors. Sherman Oaks was devastated by the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and many things had to be rebuilt or redone over the next decade. Because of this extensive rebuilding, the area bounced back better than ever with new and improved buildings and infrastructure throughout the community.

Today, Sherman Oaks is one of the most thriving business districts and hubs of the entire Los Angeles area. Several major radio networks are located within Sherman Oaks, including Premiere Radio and Fox Sports Radio, as is the video game developer Spark Unlimited. The area is also home to many financial companies such as Comerica Bank and many other banks, brokerage houses, insurance agencies and more, as well as the agricultural cooperative Sunkist Growers, which is comprised of more than 6,000 individual citrus growers. Devry University also has a campus in Sherman Oaks and Warner Brothers has a large, modern office building in the Sherman Oaks Business Center. The Sherman Oaks Galleria, perhaps the most famous shopping facility in America, is located at the center of town. Credited with inventing mall culture, the Galleria is periodically renovated so that it is always at the leading edge of the premiere shopping experience. The Village at Sherman Oaks is also a popular shopping destination for Los Angelenos and Ventura Blvd offers a wealth of boutique shops, cafes, fine dining and nightlife.

While certainly crackling with energy, affluence and dynamism, Sherman Oaks is also home to many middle class families and pockets of cozy, low-key neighborhoods. Residents enjoy many parks and outdoor activities including the state-of-the-art Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park which has and auditorium, two lighted baseball diamonds, six unlighted baseball diamonds, lighted indoor basketball courts, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a 60 person community room, a lighted football field, an indoor gymnasium without weights, picnic tables, a lighted soccer (football) field, and lighted tennis court. Located in the same place as the park, the Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Pool is a seasonal outdoor heated swimming pool. The Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Senior Citizen Center, also on the park grounds, has an auditorium and multi-purpose room; its banquet capacity is 200 and its assembly capacity is 300. The senior center also has two community/meeting rooms; one can hold 50 people and one can hold 30 people. The senior center has two kitchens, a play area, a shuffle board place, a stage, and two storage rooms. The Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Tennis Courts facility in the Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park has eight courts and the city operates the Sherman Oaks Castle Park, with arcade, batting cages, and miniature golf facilities, in Sherman Oaks.